SPARKS, Nev. - Police in Nevada say the two people killed in a school shooting were a staff member and a student who was likely the attacker.

Two other students were critically injured in the violence that erupted before classes began Monday. Authorities said the staff member was trying to intervene.

Students from the middle school and next door elementary school were evacuated to the nearby high school, and classes were canceled.

During a press briefing authorities said that a staff member and a student/suspect were both killed.

The Reno Gazette-Journal, citing Sparks City Manager Shawn Carey, said the shooter was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"We believe the suspect has been neutralized," the Sparks Police Department said on its website, without further details.

Angela Rambo, spokeswoman for Renown Regional Hospital, said the hospital had received two male patients, both minors, and both were in critical condition.

Kyle Nucum, 13, told the Gazette-Journal that he witnessed another student shoot his teacher. Nucum said his teacher saw the student with a gun and ran to the student to tell him to put the gun down. He was then shot.

A 7th grader told KTVN-TV that she saw a fellow 7th grader shoot a teacher and possibly another 7th grader.

Reno deputy chief Tom Robinson said there were 150 to 200 personnel that secured the school and the surrounding area. Robinson, addressing parents during a press conference, said "I can tell them to rest assured. The schools are safe. The rest of the city is safe."

Governor Brian Sandoval said he was receiving regular updates, and that the Nevada Highway Patrol was assisting at the scene.

"I was deeply saddened to learn of the horrific shooting at Sparks Middle School this morning," Sandoval said. "Kathleen and I extend our thoughts and prayers to the victims and those affected by these tragic events."

Police spokesman Rocky Triplett said students had been evacuated from Sparks Middle School to nearby Agnes Risley Elementary School. The students from both schools were then being moved to Sparks High School.

The newspaper initally reported that a 12-year-old boy was shot as classes were starting, and the school was placed on lockdown.

The streets around the three schools were ringed with emergency vehicles following the shooting. Parents are being allowed to pick up children, but otherwise streets in the area were closed.

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